Prayers

From chaos and emptiness,
From loneliness and lifelessness,
         Come, Creator, Come.

From darkness and shapelessness,
From the abyss and awfulness,
         Come, Creator, Come.

From fearfulness and hopelessness,
From weakness and dreadfulness,
        Come, Creator, Come.

~A Celtic Prayer - David Adam

Resting in the Divine presence
            trusting the fertile darkness
            yielding to the unknown
            in the process of becoming

Held in mystery
            everything is no-thing
            emptiness is abundance
            absence is presence
Silence in the sacred moment
Eternity is now

~Susan Gregg-Schroeder

So often, Divine One
         the tasks before me
         feel overwhelming and impossible
         The expectations of others weigh heavy
         upon my shoulders.

At times like these,
         I think I need to do something
         to invest more time and effort
         to pray longer and harder
         to embark on a journey
         in search of the Kingdom.

When I am too tired to "do" anymore
         when I am content just to "be"
         when I stop long enough to rest
         when I am finally ready to give up

I find myself sitting on a treasure
         You have hidden in a field
         waiting for me to discover

When I lift the treasure
         from its hiding place,
         I find that You have
         graced me with adequacy
         for all that lies ahead.

~Susan Gregg-Schroeder

O Holy God,
     open unto me
            light for my darkness,
            courage for my fear,
            hope for my despair.
O loving God,
     open unto me
            wisdom for my confusion,
            forgiveness for my sins,
            love for my hate.
O God of peace,
     open unto me
            peace for my turmoil,
            joy for my sorrow,
            strength for my weakness.
O generous God,
     open my heart
            to receive all your gifts.

~Howard Thurman

Break into my confusion, Lord.
Help me to know who I am
         and what I am meant to be.
Guide, uphold and strengthen me
         as I leave behind the world
         of limits and labels.
Guide, uphold and strengthen me
         as together we create a world
         of infinite possibility.

~Susan Gregg-Schroeder

Spirit God, you know our needs
                                         our wounds
                                             our hurts
                                                  our fears
Even before we can form them
         into words of prayers.

You are patient with us.
You are protective of us.
You are present with us
         until some time that we are able
         to ask for what we need.
Thank you, Spirit God,
         for your healing taking place within
         before we are even aware
         of how broken we have become.

~Susan Gregg-Schroeder

Coming Home

O God, the journey has been so long.
I've taken every side road along the way.
I've explored all the hidden places.
As your prodigal daughter,
I've felt that I could find the way myself.

Even so, You, as loving parent, were beside me
         same when my strength was gone
         nurturing me when I was helpless.

And when I was exhausted
                  floundering
                  ready to give up,
You touched me with Your grace,
And I felt Your abundant love.

We walked back home together...
         hand in hand.

~Susan Gregg-Schroeder

Sojourners of Faith

Come along with me
         as a sojourner of faith.
Bring along
         a sense of expectancy
         a vision of high hopes
         a glimpse of future possibility
         a vivid imagination.
For God's creation is not done.

We are called to pioneer
         a future yet unnamed.
As we venture forward,
         we leave behind our desire for
               a no-risk life
               worldly accumulations
               certainty of answers.

Let us travel light
         in the spirit of faith and expectations
         toward the God of our hopes and dreams.
May we be witnesses
         to God's future breaking in.

Coming along with me
         as a sojourner of faith
         secure in the knowledge
         that we never travel alone.

~Susan Gregg-Schroeder